The Wings have yet to understand that, injuries included, there's no one who will bail them out in terms of intensity, focus, attention to detail, the all-important "compete" level, nor the whole, "We don't skate through the neutral zone with speed on the attack, we don't chase the shots that get through, and we don't retrieve the endless pucks we shoot wide or into opposing players" issues.

If half their roster is out of the lineup, the half-a-roster that's going to be in Grand Rapids needs to at least attempt to state their case for sticking around, if not ensure that the players who do come back don't have to make a mad scramble for a playoff spot due to the ineffectual play of a very competent and capable half-Griffins Red Wings team that has fanned away the better part of half a season because it doesn't believe that it can score one more goal than it allows, just like the varsity squad does when it's not at 100%.

Sometimes you have to get the job done on your own, especially when you know that your potential saviors won't come back at anywhere near full strength (see: Valtteri Filppula). There are no other options, save seeing whether Emmerton, Pare, Tatar (eventually), Tardif, et. al. can add the enthusiasm that everyone else seems to lack, or they Wings could always take Patrick Rissimiller off the Rags' hands if push comes to shove. He's the only realistic trade possibility the Wings have thanks to the oodles of cap space their returnees will gobble up. Otherwise, all the team can do is make sure that the management and coaching staff publicly state that they will no longer accept the players who are there twisting in the wind.

Gotta go...Patrick Eaves is taking all the Gatorade. As soon as I can sit up with the laptop in bed, I'll be back to work. Have a safe and Happy New Year, with an emphasis on the "be safe" part.